Carrousel sealing apparatus for tower packing bundles



CARROUSEL SEALING APPARATUS FOR TOWER PACKING BUNDLES Filed Jan. 16,1969 Nov. 17, 1970 T. R. IRWIN ETAL 2 Sheets-Sheet l Mm QM m mINVENTORS.

Thomas R. lrw/n nae/V NOV. 17, 1970 wm ETAL 3,540,9?2

CARROUSEL SEALING APPARATUS FOR TOWER PACKING BUNDLES Filed Jan. 16,1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTORS. Thomas R. Irwin W//b ur 6. Freer, Jr:W/l/mm H. Doiqge AGENT 3,540,972 CARROUSEL SEALING APPARATUS FOR TOWERPACKING BUNDLES Thomas R. Irwin, Wilbur G. Freer, Jr., and William A.

Doidge, Midland, Mich., assignors to The Dow Chemical Company, Midland,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 16, 1969, Ser. No. 791,761Int. Cl. B30!) 15/34; B32b 31/20 US. Cl. 156-567 2 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This applicationdescribes and claims an apparatus which is an improvement over theapparatus described and claimed in US. Ser. No. 628,953, filed Apr. 6,1967 in the names of E. V. Dettmer and A. L. Leasher.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the treatment of waste water, it is oftendesirable to pass the water over a generally vertically disposed supportand permit it to come into contact with air. Oftentimes, it is desirableto utilize synthetic resinous thermoplastic sheets bonded together toform rigid bundles usually of a rectangular nature which can be readilyinstalled within a gas-liquid contact tower. Generally, such packing isprepared from a plurality of corrugated sheets or sheets having avariety of convolutions therein, the sheets secured in adjacentrelationship in such a manner that water or liquid being treated isprovided with a maximum surface. Conveniently the number of such bundlesor sheets are stacked within an enclosure to provide a suitable watertreatment apparatus. It is extremely undesirable to ship such bundles infabricated form as the volume per unit weight is very high. It is muchmore convenient to ship a plurality of sheets, to field assemble thebundles at the field site of construction and rapidly install the bundlewithin the tower or enclosure. Various means have been employed forsealing together bundles or sheets to provide a unitary structure. Sometechniques have employed a plurality of corrugated strips which arepassed between hot platens to seal and flange the edges. Heated probeshave been passed through assembled bundles to fuse the individual sheetsto adjacent sheets and provide a structural and functional unit.However, in order to provide a tower packing bundle of maximum strengthand minimum weight, it is desirable that the bundle be flanged and fusedon four sides.

The apparatus described in the above mentioned Ser. No. 628,953 has twosets of platens placed side by side in a trailer van. The unweldedbundle is placed in the first set of platens by a slide mechanism andthe two sides welded. It is next placed in a station between sets ofplatens and turned 90. After it is turned 90, it is in. serted into thenext set of platens and the other two sides welded. When the weld iscompleted, the bundle exits out the back of the welding assembly. As abundle moves through the unit, another bundle is behind it such thatthree bundles are in process at one time. One being welded in the firstset of platens, another being turned 90 and the third being welded inthe second set of platens.

United States Patent O 3,540,972 Patented Nov. 17, 1970 The positioningof the platens and the fact that they are stationary will generallyallow only four sets of platens in a trailer van. As commonly used,generally only two sets of platens are provided, allowing only onewelded bundle per minute. Also because of the required room for thiswelding arrangement and the position at which an unwelded bundle entersand a welded bundle exits, an operator cannot, without leaving hisposition at the infeed and going to the back of the unit, check thequality of his work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention thesedifliculties are overcome and a significantly improved apparatus isprovided which comprises in cooperative combination means to convey abundle of unconnected sheets, the bundle having a first and second faceand four sides, a plurality of sets of opopsed heating means positionedon a rotatable disc or turntable, means to rotate said disc, means tosequentially position a bundle between each of said opposed heatingmeans, the heating means adapted to engage opposed sides of saidbundles, heat the side of said bundles to a thermoplastic state, therebyfusing the sheets together at selected loactions while said disc isrotated, preferably through 360, means to disengage the heating meansfrom the bundle and return said bundle to said conveyor means, means torotate the bundle about and convey said bundle to a second rotatabledisc having a plurality of sets of opposed heating means, means tosequentially posi tion a bundle between each of said opposed heatingmeans wherein opposed edges of the bundles are heated to a thermoplastictemperature to fuse adjacent edges of adjacent sheets together whilesaid second disc is rotated, preferably through 360, means to disengagethe heating means from said bundle and return said bundle to saidconveyor means and means to convey the so-formed bundle from the bundleforming apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING This invention will be furtherunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein, whereverpossible, like numbers denote like parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the operation of the apparatusof the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the apparatus as set upin operating condition in a moblle housing, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG.2.

Referring to FIG. 1, an unwelded bundle is stacked and in position A; byconveyor mechanism, it is moved to position B. The bundle is theninserted between platens in position C on a rotary joining and indexingunit hereinafter called a carrousel. The platens close and the weldingcycle starts and continues through the rotation of 360. The carrouselturns 90 and position D is now at the in/ out feed position. The sameprocedure is followed as above and position D now has a bundle betweenthe platens and the welding cycle begins for position D. Positions E andF are also loaded in this same manner. When position C returns to thein/out feed position, the bundle, now welded on two sides, is pushed outfrom between the platens to position B. As a stacked unwelded bundle ismoved from position A to position B, the bundle welded on two sides inposition B also moves along the conveyor to position G. A new bundle isnow moved from position B into position C and the welding cyclecontinues at the first carrousel. When the bundle which has been weldedon two sides is in position G, it is turned 90 so that when it reachesthe second carrousel, the other two sides which are unwelded can bewelded. The procedure at the second carrousel is identical to that atthe first carrousel. When a bundle reaches position I, it is insertedinto position I and the platens close and begin the welding operation.The carrousel turns 90 and position K is loaded, after which positions Land M are loaded in a similar manner. When position I returns to thein/out feed position, the bundle is pushed out to position I and is nowcompletely welded on all four sides. Once at position I, the bundle isconveyed to position N and on out to the tower as another bundle fromposition H is moved to I and then into the carrousel and position I tobegin a welding cycle which continues with movement through positions Kand L to M.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, apparatus in accordance with oneembodiment of this invention, designated generally by the numeral 10,comprises carrousels 11 and 12, which are driven by motors 13 and 14through belts 15 and 16 respectively, and which carry sealing unitscomprising electrically heated and pneumatically operated opposed setsof platens 17 and 18 respectively. Pneumatic cylinders 19 are employedfor opening and closing the platens. A bundle of sheets 20 is positionedbetween opposed pairs of platens. Reciprocating conveying means 21(operating mechanism not shown) serve to convey the bundles to and fromthe carrousels 11 and 12 and to and from conveying means 22. Conveyingmeans 22 advantageously comprises two endless belts 23, 24 which arepositioned on either side of turntable 25 and are driven by motor 26through a pulley and drive shaft 27 and 28 respectively. Turntable 25 isemployed to rotate each bundle 90 while it is in transit between thecarrousels. Turntable 25 is adapted to be raised and lowered throughoperation of pneumatic cylinder 30. Thus, as a bundle of sheets is movedalong on belts 23 and 24, turntable 25 is in a recessed position. As thebundle is passing over the turntable, the turntable 25 is elevated orraised by means of pneumatic cylinder 30, turned 90 by operation ofpneumatic cylinder 32, and thereafter lowered to the belts 23 and 24 tocontinue movement toward carrousel 12.

The bundles are moved from the conveying means into position on thecarrousels 11 and 12 by means which advantageously comprises an aircylinder 34 and attached foot 35 and are returned to the reciprocatingconveying means 21 from the carrousels by ejector means whichadvantageously comprise a pair of slide bars 36, and an air cylinder 38in operative engagement with an L-shaped ejector tongue 40 positionedbetween the slide bars and adapted to engage the bundle and move saidbundle from between the platens out to and on the reciprocatingconveying means 21.

Power to heat the platens is advantageously carried to the carrouselsand platens through commutator 42, and the air supply to cylinders 19 isadvantageously provided through a means such as rotary joint 44.

Advantageously, the sealing units comprising platens 17 and 18 may beconstructed and operated as illustrated in copending application Ser.No. 628,953 mentioned above.

With the apparatus as described, four welded bundles can be produced perminute, in contrast to the one bundle per minute produced by apparatusof the prior art. In addition, with the apparatus of this invention, asingle operator is in position to check the completed first weld, and,without moving, check the finished weld while still controlling theprocess. Thus this invention provides higher productivity and betterutilization of manpower while reducing scrap and loss.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for the fabrication of a plurality of tower packingbundles from a plurality of sheets, the apparatus comprising incooperative combination means to convey a bundle of unconnected sheets,the bundle having a first and second face and four sides, a plurality ofsets of opposed heating means positioned on a rotatable disc, means torotate said disc, means to sequentially position a bundle between eachof said opposed heating means, the heating means adapted to engageopposed sides of said bundles, heat the side of said bundles to athermoplastic state, thereby fusing the sheets together at selectedlocations while said disc is rotated, means to disengage the heatingmeans from the bundle and return said bundle to said conveyor means,means to rotate the bundle and convey said bundle to a second rotatabledisc having a plurality of sets of opposed heating means, means tosequentially position a bundle between each of said opposing heatingmeans wherein opposed edges of the bundle are heated to a thermoplastictemperature to fuse adjacent edges of adjacent sheet-s together whilesaid second disc is rotated, means to disengage the heating means fromsaid bundle and return said bundle to said conveyor means and means toconvey the so-forrned bundle from the bundle forming apparatus.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotatable disc is rotated through360.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1966 Lake l56-583 7/1969Niemeyer l56568 X US. Cl. X.R.

